Super-dosing phytase improves the growth performance of weaner pigs fed a low iron diet

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, bone mineral composition, diet utilization, and plasmatic concentration of myo-inositol (MYO) in turkeys fed different phytase doses from 1 to 28 d. A total of three hundred and twenty 1-day-old turkeys were distributed in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 8 replicates of 10 birds each. Treatments included a basal diet without phytase; reduced diet (reduced −0.15% available P and −0.18% Ca) without phytase; reduced diet + 2,000 units of phytase (FYT)/kg; and reduced diet + 4,000 FYT/kg. From day 26 to 28, partial excreta collection was conducted, and on day 28, 7 birds per replicate were euthanized for collection of ileal content and left tibia bones were removed from 2 of the same euthanized birds. Feed, excreta, and ileal digesta samples were analyzed to determine nutrient digestibility and metabolizability, ileal digestible energy, and AME. Tibia bones were analyzed for ash, Ca, and P content, and calculation of Seedor index. On day 28, blood samples were collected from 2 turkeys per replicate to analyze plasmatic MYO concentration. Feed conversion ratio was not affected, but phytase supplementation resulted in higher feed intake and body weight gain compared to turkeys fed the reduced diet (P < 0.05), and both doses were similar to the basal diet. Increasing the phytase dose had a linear effect (P < 0.05) on ileal digestibility of P and metabolizability of DM, CP, Ca, and Na, and also on AME. P content in the tibia bone increased linearly (P < 0.05) with phytase supplementation, and the same linear increase (P < 0.05) was observed for plasmatic MYO. In conclusion, the supplementation of turkey poult's diets with high levels of phytase up to 4,000 FYT/kg improves diet utilization by increasing P digestibility and dietary metabolizability, leading to higher P content in the bone and enhancing MYO provision and absorption.

One hundred twenty pigs were used to determine effects of graded levels of microbial phytase on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P and Ca and the standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in 4 sources of canola meal and in 1 source of soybean meal (SBM) fed to growing pigs. The 4 sources of canola meal were produced from 1 source of high-protein canola seeds and 2 sources of conventional canola seeds with 1 of the conventional canola seeds being divided into 2 separate batches before crushing. Pigs (16.2 ± 5.3 kg initial BW) were individually housed in metabolism crates and were randomly allotted to 1 of 20 diets in a 5 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments with 5 ingredients and 4 levels of phytase. There were 6 replicate pigs per diet. Five basal diets based on high-protein canola meal (CM-HP), high-temperature processed canola meal (CM-HT), low-temperature processed canola meal (CM-LT), conventional canola meal (CM-CV), or SBM were formulated. The basal diets contained no phytase. Fifteen additional diets were prepared by adding approximately 500, 1,500, or 2,500 phytase units/kg to each of the 5 basal diets. Feces were quantitatively collected for 5 d based on the marker-to-marker approach after a 7-d adaptation period. Results indicated that supplementation of microbial phytase increased (linear, < 0.05) the ATTD of Ca in diets containing CM-HP, CM-HT, CM-CV, and SBM but not in diets containing CM-LT. Microbial phytase also increased (linear and quadratic, < 0.05) the ATTD and STTD of P in all 5 ingredients. Compared with the CM-CV diets, the CM-HP diets had greater ( < 0.05) ATTD of Ca. The ATTD of Ca in the SBM diet was greater ( < 0.05) than in all canola meal diets, but no differences were observed in ATTD of Ca between CM-HT and CM-LT diets. The ATTD and the STTD of P were less ( < 0.05) in CM-HP, CM-HT, CM-LT, or CM-CV than in SBM if no microbial phytase was added, but no differences were observed in the ATTD and STTD of P in SBM, CM-HP, CM-HT, or CM-CV if the highest amount of phytase were added (interaction, < 0.05). Regression equations were developed to calculate the response to microbial phytase on the STTD of P in CM-HP, CM-HT, CM-LT, CM-CV, and SBM. In conclusion, inclusion of graded levels of microbial phytase increased the ATTD and STTD of P in CM-HP, CM-HT, CM-LT, CM-CV, and SBM and the response to microbial phytase added to each ingredient can be predicted by regression equations.

Aim:To study the effect of dietary supplementation of lecithin and carnitine on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in pigs fed high-fat diet.Materials and Methods:A total of 30 weaned female large white Yorkshire piglets of 2 months of age were selected and randomly divided into three groups allotted to three dietary treatments, T1 - Control ration as per the National Research Council nutrient requirement, T2 - Control ration plus 5% fat, and T3 - T2 plus 0.5% lecithin plus 150 mg/kg carnitine. The total dry matter (DM) intake, fortnightly body weight of each individual animal was recorded. Digestibility trial was conducted toward the end of the experiment to determine the digestibility coefficient of various nutrients.Results:There was a significant improvement (p<0.01) observed for pigs under supplementary groups T2 and T3 than that of control group (T1) with regards to growth parameters studied such as total DM intake, average final body weight and total weight gain whereas among supplementary groups, pigs reared on T3 group had better intake (p<0.01) when compared to T2 group. Statistical analysis of data revealed that no differences were observed (p>0.05) among the three treatments on average daily gain, feed conversion efficiency, and nutrient digestibility during the overall period.Conclusion:It was concluded that the dietary inclusion of animal fat at 5% level or animal fat along with lecithin (0.5%) and carnitine (150 mg/kg) improved the growth performance in pigs than non-supplemented group and from the economic point of view, dietary incorporation of animal fat at 5% would be beneficial for improving growth in pigs without dietary modifiers.

Enhancing nutrient utilization in maize for broiler chickens by superdosing phytase

Efficacy of Escherichia coli phytase (ASP) was evaluated in nursery pigs fed low Ca and digestible P corn and soybean meal diet. Piglets were weaned on day 21, fed a common commercial starter diet for 7 d, and assigned to pens (4 pigs/pen: 2 ♀ and 2 ♂) based on day 7 BW. Positive control (PC) and negative (NC) diets were formulated with similar energy and nutrients with exception of total Ca, total P, and digestible P concentrations being 79%, 67%, and 55% that of PC diet, respectively. Two other diets were formulated by adding ASP in NC at 500 and 1,000 FTU/kg. All diets had 0.2% TiO2 indigestible marker. The diets were allocated to pens to give 6 replicates per diet and fed for 42 d. Feed intake and body weight were monitored at 14-d intervals. On day 42, 1 pig/pen was bled and euthanized to access blood and tissue samples. Analyzed total Ca and P in NC diet was 71% and 69% of concentration in PC diet. Recovery of phytase in pelleted diets was 66.2% and 73.5% for NC+500 FTU/kg and NC+1,000 FTU/kg diets, respectively. Between days 15 and 42, pigs fed NC diet grew slower and ate less feed than pigs fed the other diets. Overall (days 0–42), phytase in NC increased (P ≤ 0.05) ADG linearly and quadratically. On day 42, pigs fed PC, NC+500 FTU/kg, and NC+1,000 FTU/kg were +6.1, +5.9, and +7.1 kg heavier (P < 0.05) than pigs fed NC, respectively. Pigs fed PC and NC plus phytase exhibited higher (P = 0.003) G:F relative to NC pigs between days 15 and 28. Pigs fed NC diet had lower (P < 0.001) plasma P concentration, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of Ca and P, and metacarpal and metatarsal bone attributes than pigs fed any other diets. Supplementation of phytase in NC linearly increased (P < 0.05) plasma P concentration, ATTD of Ca and P, and bone attributes. Specifically, phytase increased (P ≤ 0.025) dry weight, length, and ash weight in metacarpals and metatarsals. In conclusion, low total Ca and digestible P diet depressed growth and P utilization in piglets. Supplemental phytase improved performance in pigs fed NC linked to enhanced nutrients uptake and metabolism commensurate to pigs fed adequate total Ca and digestible P from inorganic source.

Two experiments evaluated effects of added pantothenic acid on performance of growing-finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 156 pigs (PIC, initial BW = 25.7 kg) were used in a 3 x 2 x 2 factorial to evaluate the effects of added pantothenic acid (PA; 0, 22.5, or 45 ppm), ractopamine.HCl (RAC; 0 or 10 mg/kg), and sex on growth performance and carcass traits. Pigs were fed increasing PA from 25.7 to 123.6 kg (d 0 to 98) and RAC for the last 28 d before slaughter. Increasing the amount of added PA had no effect (P > 0.40) on ADG, ADFI, or G:F from d 0 to 70. A PA x sex interaction (P < 0.03) was observed for ADG and G:F from d 71 to 98. Increasing the amount of added PA increased ADG and G:F in gilts, but not in barrows. Increasing the amount of added PA had no effect (P > 0.38) on carcass traits. Added RAC increased (P < 0.01) ADG and G:F for d 71 to 98 and d 0 to 98 and increased (P < 0.01) LM area and percentage lean. In Exp. 2, 1,080 pigs (PIC, initial BW = 40.4 kg, final BW = 123.6 kg) were used to determine the effects of increasing PA on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs reared in a commercial finishing facility. Pigs were fed 0, 22.5, 45.0, or 90 mg/kg of added PA. Increasing the amount of added PA had no effect (P > 0.45) on ADG, ADFI, or G:F, and no differences were observed (P > 0.07) for carcass traits. In summary, adding dietary PA to diets during the growing-finishing phase did not provide any advantages in growth performance or carcass composition of growing-finishing pigs. Furthermore, it appears that the pantothenic acid in corn and soybean meal may be sufficient to meet the requirements of 25- to 120-kg pigs.

Simple SummarySerious nitrogen pollution and shortage of protein feed resources have constrained the rapid development of the pig industry. Thus, the strategy of using a reduced-protein diet supplemented with amino acids in pig production has been widely accepted. Additionally, antibiotic growth promoters have been widely used in pig production for many years. However, their enormous and uncontrolled use has promoted bacterial resistance, leading to less effective treatment for animal diseases. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of inclusion of oregano essential oil in a reduced-protein, amino acid-supplemented diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut health, and antioxidative capacity of growing-finishing pigs as an alternative to antibiotics. Our results suggested that adding oregano essential oil to a reduced-protein diet improved the growth performance and carcass lean percentage of pigs. In addition, long-term supplementation of oregano essential oil to a reduced-protein diet improved the intestinal bacteria, intestinal morphology, and antioxidative capacity of pigs. This study provides theoretical guidance for application of low-protein diet to guide the production of antibiotic-free feed for growing–finishing pigs.This study investigated the effects of supplementing oregano essential oil (OEO) to a reduced-protein diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal bacteria, intestinal morphology, and antioxidative capacity of growing-finishing pigs. Forty-eight barrows were randomly allotted to four treatments including normal-protein diet (NPD), reduced-protein, amino acid-supplemented diet (RPD), the same RPD supplemented with chlortetracycline (RPA), and RPD supplemented with OEO (RPO). The data showed that dietary OEO supplementation increased the average daily gain of pigs compared with NPD and RPD. The gain:feed in RPO- and NPD-fed pigs was higher than those in RPD- and RPA-fed pigs. Increased average daily feed intake and 10th-rib backfat thickness were detected in RPA-fed pigs. Pigs fed the RPO had higher apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein than those fed the other diets. The RPD and RPA treatments showed reduced counts of Lactobacillus spp. in ileal digesta of pigs. The RPA and RPO treatments also showed lower Escherichia coli counts in ileal digesta than the NPD and RPD treatments. Dietary OEO supplementation increased villous height of the jejunum and the ileal and plasma total antioxidative capacity of pigs. In conclusion, dietary OEO supplementation could improve the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of pigs by modulating intestinal bacteria, intestinal morphology, and antioxidative capacity.

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of extrusion on the energy content of corn and broken rice and on growth performance of weaning pigs. In experiment 1, 24 barrows (28 days old, 7.28 ± 0.90 kg body weight (BW)) were used to compare the effects of extrusion of corn and broken rice on the values of digestible energy (DE) in weaned pigs. The DE content in extruded corn (17.45 MJ/kg dry matter (DM)) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) by 5.54% compared with that in corn (16.48 MJ/kg DM), while no significant difference in DE content was observed between extruded broken rice (17.66 MJ/kg DM) and broken rice (17.76 MJ/kg DM). In experiment 2, 120 weanling pigs (21 days old, 5.76 ± 0.07 kg BW) were used to evaluate the influence of substitution corn and extruded corn by different proportions of raw and extruded broken rice on growth performance of pigs. The inclusion of broken rice in the diets improved (P < 0.05) growth performance of pigs during the first week and the 2 weeks post-weaning but not thereafter. However, there was no significant difference in growth performance between treatments in other periods. Overall, this study indicates that feeding weaning pigs with broken rice has beneficial results.

This study was conducted to investigate the functional roles of an endo-β-1,4-xylanase on the intestinal health and growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 60 pigs (21 d old, 6.9 ± 0.8 kg body weight [BW]) were allotted based on a randomized complete block design with sex and initial BW as blocks. Dietary treatments had nutrients meeting the requirements with increasing levels of endo-β-1,4-xylanase (0, 220, 440, 880, 1,760 xylanase unit [XU] per kg feed) and fed to pigs in three phases (phases 1, 2, and 3 for 10, 14, and 14 d, respectively). Titanium dioxide (0.4%) was added to the phase 3 diets as an indigestible marker. On day 38, all pigs were euthanized to collect ileal digesta to measure apparent ileal digestibility (AID), jejunal digesta to measure viscosity, and jejunal mucosa to evaluate intestinal health. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure for polynomial contrasts and the NLMIXED procedure for broken line analysis of SAS. Increasing xylanase in the nursery diets reduced (linear, P < 0.05) the digesta viscosity in the jejunum. Increasing xylanase tended to reduce the relative abundance of Cupriavidus (P = 0.073) and Megasphaera (P = 0.063); tended to increase the relative abundance of Succinivibrio (P = 0.076) and Pseudomonas (P = 0.060); and had a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on the relative abundance of Acinetobacter (maximum: 2.01% at 867 XU per kg feed). Xylanase from 0 to 1,087 XU per kg feed reduced (P < 0.05) jejunal malondialdehyde. Xylanase from 0 to 1,475 XU per kg feed increased (P < 0.05) the AID of neutral detergent fiber. Increasing xylanase increased (P < 0.05) the AID of ether extract and tended to increase (P = 0.058) the AID of crude protein. Increasing xylanase did not affect growth performance on overall period, whereas xylanase from 0 to 736 XU per kg feed increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) during days 31 to 38. In conclusion, xylanase supplementation showed benefits on intestinal health by reducing digesta viscosity, the relative abundance of potentially harmful bacteria, and the oxidative stress in the jejunal mucosa, collectively enhancing intestinal morphology and the AID of nutrients. Xylanase supplementation at a range of 750 to 1,500 XU per kg feed provided benefits associated with reduced oxidative stress, increased nutrient digestibility, resulting in potential improvement on growth performance of nursery pigs by increasing the average daily feed intake and moderately improving the ADG throughout the last week of feeding.

Evaluation of ME predictions and the impact of feeding maize distillers dried grains with solubles with variable oil content on growth performance, carcass composition, and pork fat quality of growing-finishing pigs

The objective of this research was to investigate the functional roles of phytase and xylanase in nursery pigs and broiler chickens. These enzymes have been widely studied and have shown consistent results improving nutrient digestibility and growth performance. However, recent studies have raised the hypothesis that phytase and xylanase could also have potential effects on intestinal and bone health, and intestinal microbiota. The first study studied at the effects of a bacterial 6-phytase on nutrient digestibility and retention of nursery and growing pigs. The results showed that supplementing a bacterial 6-phytase in pig diets can be a potential alternative for reducing high levels of inorganic phosphorus sources while still increasing the digestibility and utilization of phosphorus by the animals. The second study investigated the efficacy and optimal level of a bacterial 6-phytase supplemented beyond traditional dose levels on bone and intestinal health, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of nursery pigs. The results revealed that the supplementation of the bacterial 6-phytase enhanced bone health, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance in nursery pigs. The third study aimed to determine the effects of phytase supplementation on the intestinal microbiota and morphology, bone health, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of broiler chickens. The results showed that phytase supplementation had potential benefits on the microbiota by reducing potential harmful bacteria and increasing beneficial bacteria. Additionally, phytase had positive effects on bone health, intestinal morphology, and nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens. The fourth study examined the functional roles of xylanase on the intestinal health and growth performance of nursery pigs. The results showed that xylanase supplementation had beneficial effects on intestinal health by reducing the digesta viscosity, the relative abundance of potentially harmful bacteria, and the oxidative stress in the jejunal mucosa. All of these factors collectively reflected in improvements on the intestinal morphology, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of nursery pigs. In conclusion, the results of these studies reaffirmed the benefits of phytase and xylanase related to nutrient digestibility and growth performance in nursery pigs and broiler chickens, as well as showed potential benefits on intestinal health and microbiota of the animals. Supplementing these enzymes could also contribute to a reduction in feed costs and environmental concerns associated with a poor hydrolysis and breakdown of antinutritional factors in animal diets.

1. The additivity of apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of phosphorus (P) in mixed diets containing corn and canola meal (CCM) with or without phytase supplementation and the impact of age on the basal ileal endogenous loss (BEL) of P were investigated in broiler chickens. 2. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial with two ages (13 d or 21 d post hatching), three diets (corn, canola meal, or CCM), and two phytase levels (0 or 1,000 FYT/kg diet) in a randomised complete block design. There were eight or six birds per cage at 13 d and 21 d of age, respectively, and six replicate cages per treatment, with a total of 588 birds. A P-free diet (PFD) treatment was included at each age to determine the basal endogenous loss (BEL) of P. 3. Birds were fed a commercial starter diet from d 1 to d 10 or d 18 and then fed the experimental diets for 3 d until d 13 or d 21, respectively. Predicted digestibility values calculated from the individual feed ingredients were used to test additivity in the mixed diets. Chromium oxide was included in diets as an indigestible marker. 4. The ileal digesta, collected from birds at d 13 or d 21, was used to determine nutrient digestibility. 5. The AID and SID of P at d 13 was higher (P < 0.01) when compared with older birds at d 21, regardless of dietary phytase supplementation. Regardless of age or phytase supplementation, AID and SID of P were additive, as there were no differences between predicted and determined values in the mixed diets. The BEL of P (g/kg DM intake) in birds at d 13 was higher (P < 0.05) than birds at d 21 (0.197 vs. 0.159). 6. In conclusion, age had an impact on the BEL of P and the utilisation of minerals in the diets. The apparent and standardised ileal digestibility of P in the mixed diet containing corn and canola meal were additive, regardless of age or phytase supplementation.

Effect of microbial phytase on digestibility and utilisation of phosphorus and protein in pigs fed wet barley protein with fibre

After the ban of pharmacological zinc oxide (ZnO) in EU pig diets, alternative ways to improve health and growth performance of pigs after weaning are being sought. Seaweed blends have been an area of interest given their potential prebiotic effects. This work compared two levels of a seaweed blend, added to a control diet and a diet with pharmacological levels of ZnO, on feed intake, growth, feed efficiency and the inflammatory response. A total of 240 pigs ((Large White x Landrace) x Danish Duroc) were weaned (8.5 ± 0.31 kg) into pens of five pigs per pen and allocated to one of four dietary treatments. Across treatment groups, pens of pigs were balanced for the sex ratio within a pen, a pig’s litter of origin and weight at weaning. Pens of pigs were fed one of four diets: 1) positive control (PC) - standard diet with 3.1 g/kg ZnO; 2) negative control (NC) - standard diet without ZnO; 3) NC+5 g/kg seaweed blend (SWB); 4) NC+10 g/kg SWB, across three phases: days 0–7, 7–20 and 20–42 after weaning. Feed refusals per pen and individual pig weights were recorded on days 7, 20 and 42 to determine average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed (G:F) per phase. On day 20, six pigs per treatment were euthanised and dissected. Peripheral plasma samples were collected for ELISA analysis of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β and IL-10 and the ileal mucosa was scraped for qPCR analysis of relative mRNA quantification of IL-6, IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). During the first seven days after weaning, PC fed pigs tended to have higher ADG than other treatments (P<0.10) and higher G:F compared to NC (0.888 vs. 0.764, P<0.001, NC+5 g/kg SWB (0.888 vs. 0.753, P=0.019) and NC+10 g/kg SWB (0.888 vs. 0.762, P=0.034). Between 8 and 20 days, PC fed pigs tended to have higher ADFI than the NC and the NC+10 g/kg SWB (P<0.10). Average daily gain between 8 and 20 days was not different for PC and NC+5 g/kg SWB pigs (0.368 and 0.308 kg/day) and G:F was higher for PC compared to both NC (0.830 vs. 0.721, P=0.021) and NC+10 g/kg SWB pigs (0.830 vs. 0.702, P=0.005). Between 21 and 42 days, there were no differences in ADG or ADFI. Gain:feed for PC (0.755) and NC+5 g/kg SWB (0.768) fed pigs were not different but were lower than NC (0.804, P=0.002 and P=0.038, respectively). There were no differences in mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-1β or TNF-α in the ileum. In plasma, PC and NC+5 g/kg SWB tended to have lower IL-6 concentrations compared to NC and NC+10 g/kg SWB (1.7 and 1.1 vs. 4.7 and 5.0 pg/ml; P<0.10). Given the intermediate performance of pigs fed 5 g/kg inclusion of SWB it could be beneficial to investigate this inclusion level further, or lower inclusion levels, given 10 g/kg did not show any beneficial effect.

A study was conducted to compare growth performance and behaviors of group-farrowed pigs with those of confinement-farrowed pigs. A total of 216 pigs (8 wk of age) were used, with an equal number of group-farrowed or confinement-farrowed pigs from 1 farrowing batch. Group-farrowed pigs were farrowed in bedded, individual pens and mingled into a group of 8 litters at 12 (±1.3) d of age. Pigs were weaned at 33 (±1.3) d and remained in the farrowing room until 8 wk of age. Confinement-farrowed pigs were farrowed in farrowing crates. At weaning (32 ± 2.0 d of age), confinement-farrowed pigs were mixed and moved to pens of 9 pigs in a confinement nursery and remained there until 8 wk of age. At 8 wk of age, pigs from the 2 housing systems were allocated to 24 pens of 9 pigs in a confinement growing-finishing barn, with 12 pens from each of the housing systems. Within farrowing system, pigs from different groups or pens were mixed upon entering the growing-finishing barn. Individual BW was recorded at allotment (wk 0) to the growing-finishing barn and every 2 wk thereafter for 14 wk. Feed intake and G:F were monitored on a pen basis every 2 wk between wk 0 and 14 of the study period. Behaviors of pigs were video recorded in 6 pens of each housing treatment for 24 h on the day of mixing (d 0), d 7, and d 14 after mixing in the finisher barn. The video recordings were scanned at 5-min intervals to calculate behavioral time budgets for lying, standing, eating, drinking, and belly nosing. Data were analyzed using the Proc Mixed model of SAS with repeated measures. Compared with confinement-farrowed pigs, group-farrowed pigs spent more time lying (85.7 vs. 82.7%; SE = 0.75; P < 0.001) and belly nosing (0.05 vs. 0.02%; P < 0.05) and less time standing (5.8 vs. 7.5%; SE = 0.49; P < 0.01) and eating (7.3 vs. 9.3%; SE = 0.40; P < 0.001). The difference in behavioral time budgets was associated with differences in performance of pigs from the 2 housing systems. Group-farrowed pigs exhibited greater ADG (866 vs. 814 g; SE = 10.3; P < 0.01) for the initial 2 wk after mixing, less ADFI (2,004 vs. 2,188 g; SE = 42.5; P < 0.05), and improved G:F (0.431 vs. 0.393; SE = 0.0078; P < 0.01) for the entire 14-wk study period compared with confinement-farrowed pigs. These results suggest that group-farrowed pigs were more efficient than confinement-farrowed pigs in utilizing dietary energy for BW gain by lying more and standing and eating less during the growing and finishing period.